moore



INVENTOR.

' G. L. MOORE LUBRICATING SYSTEM Original Filed Dec. 10. 1925 June 14, 1927..

' '1 UNITED S TES Re. 16,655 I PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. MOORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' nunn'rcarmo sYs'rmr.

Original no. 1,337,349, dated June a, 1926, Serial no. 74,432, filed December 10, 1925. Application to:

. reissue fled April 2, 1927. Serial No. 180,601.

In many places, on automobiles for examle, there are many bearings that must be ubricated from time to time. Recently there have come into existence so-called central lubricating systems, by means of which a large number of bearings may belubricated slmultaneously from a remote point. Because of the great variation in conditions of a plurality of .bearings, due to the nature of the bearings, their locations, and differences in temperature, it is not sufiicient simply to pump oil through a pipe system connected with all of the bearings, as the oil will follow the easiest path, causii g some bearings to be flooded and others perhaps to receive no oil. Therefore the socalled central lubricating systems, of which I am aware, are all provided at the bearings with restricted outlets whose sizes are carefully calculated, or with measuring units to measure out predetermined quantities of oil when pressure is applied at the central station and, upon the release of such pressure to deliver such measured quanti- 2 ties to the bearings. If the restricted outlets are satisfactory initially,- service conditime soon make them less satisfactory. The f measuring units, in order to be eflt'ective, require that'great care be takenin their con- 0 struction, making them comparatively ex pensive, and as they are more or less deli? cate'the are apt to get out oforder.

' The 0 ject o produce a simple and novel central lubrias eating system in which oil is permitted to be delivered to a plurality of bearings sub- ,stantially the same manner asthough' sun'ple pipe connections .were em loyed, the flow to each bearing beingregu ated by a simple 40 device at each bearing to insure efiective lubrication under all conditions.

7 My improved regulating devices are extremely-simple and are inexpensive. Therefore, viewed in one ofits as eets, my mvention may be said to have or its object to produce an eflicient central lubricatm system that'shall consist oi a few simp e eleuents and thus be cheap in initial cost and lot apt to et out of order-in service.

Viewed m further aspect, my invention may be said to have for its object to produce a simple and novel regulator for controlling the flow of oil from a pipe to a bearing.

The regulating device that I have devised operates on the principle that the efl'ective into bearings at such two points.

suit

automobile may be utilized e ectively to "after be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of the present invention is to,

through one of the individual regulating inlet to a bearing, upon being opened, decreases in capacity as the pressure on the oncoming oil increases, whereby adevice located'at a remote point from the pressure.- produclng device at which point the pressure may be much less than at a point near the centralstation, will have alarger effective inlet, upon the application of pressure, than at the other point, so that there will be an adequate flow, and only an adequate flow,

The degree of pressure in the system "is immaterial, andI am therefore enabled to connect the system directly to the usual engine lubricating pump on an automobile, providing a a le manual valve for shutting off or permitting a flow of oil from the pump to the system. 1 Y

Therefore, viewed in one of its as ects, the resent invention may be said to ave for 75 its object to produce a simple and novel system for lubricating a plurality of bearings distributed about an automobile, whereby the ordinary engine lubricating ump on an lubricate such bearings.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinmy invention and ofits objects and advantages, reference may be had tothe following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, where- 1n: Q a.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating my improved system connected to the lubricating pump of anautomobile;

Fig. 2- is a longitudinal central section devices, showin the movable regulatingelement in a posit1on to shutoff any flow of oil into the bearing with which the device is associated;'-Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the inlet to the bearing to .be lubricated as 'partially "opened and' Fig. 4' is a section taken on line 4-4 a lar er scale. a r 7 Re erring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawof Fig. 2 on ing, 1 represents a small cylindrical shell opened at the top and closed at the bottom; there being a transverse artition 2 in the shell to separate the iIItGI'lOltllGl'GOf into an upper compartment 3 and a lower compartment 4. The upper end of the shell is closed .110 v by a suitable fitting 5, by means of which an inlet pipe 6 is connected with the upper chamber or compartment. The lower end of 'the shell has screw threads 7 "or other means ing is an elongated vertical plunger 10. In the chamber 4, underneath the plunger is-a spring 11 that normally holds the plunger in a raised position. The cross-sectional area of the plunger is made slightly less at the extreme upper end than the, cross-sectional area. of the opening in which the plunger slides, and decreases gradually to a point near the lower end of the plunger,

,the lower end of the plunger being left cylindrical so as to fit the opening and prevent a transfer of oil from the upper cham-' 'ber into the lower chamber in the device when the lower end of the plunger lies within the opening in the partition as shown in Fig. 2. The reduction in cross-sectional area of the plunger is'shown in the draw ing as being produced by flattening one slight, angle with the. central longitndinal side of the plunger, as indicated at 12, to

form a fiat face lylng in a plane makinga axis of the plunger; the extreme lower end 14 of the plunger being left unmutilated. p

When oil is permitted to flow from the pipe 6 into the device, it fills the upper chamber 3, as indicated at B. However, as

long as there is no pressure on-the oil, it cannot escape past the -plun er. If the oil in the inlet pipe is placed an er a pro-determined pressure, the plunger is forced down until an e uilibrium is established between the upwar pressure of the spring and the downward pressure on the plunger. If this point of equilibrium is reached when the unmutilated lower end of the plunger is only a short distance belowthe bottom face of the partition, a comparatively large passage will be aflorded through which the oil may flow from the upper chamber into the lower chamber. If the pressure on the oil be greater, equilibrium will not be established until the plunger has been depressed farther, thus reducing the size of the passage between the two chambers. If the pressure be great enough to force the plunger down as far as it will go, there will be onl a ver small passage through which the 011 can ow from the upper chamber into the lower. Therefore, since the transfer of oil from the upper chamber to the lower depends both on the cross-sectional area of the passage between the chambers and the pressure on the oil, it will be seen that a series of devices may be calibrated so that substantially the same amount of oil will be transferred during a given time h each of them even though the pressures di er widely throughout the series of devices. Therefore, if in an automobile for example,.one-

of my improved measuring devicesis placed at each plurality of bearings to be lubricated, and all of the devices are connected to a single supply pipe, the various bearings may be effectively lubricated by simply forcing oil through the s pply pipe at any pressure that will be sufficient to depress the plunger in the most remote device to a suflicient extent to permit oil to be transferred from the upper to the lowerv chamber in that device.

ing devices connected ,to a single supply pipe 15 which is in turn connected to the discharge pipe 16 of the usual engine lubricating pump 17. A manual valve 18 con.

In Fig.1, I have shown a series of regulattrols communication between the discharge .the pump is in operation, the valve. 18 is simply opened and held .open' for a. short interval of time, the length of which will soon be learned from actual practice; whereupon the valve will again be closed and left in its closed. position until another charge of lubricant is to be delivered to the bearings. When the valve 18 is opened, oil is pumped through the pipe 15 to each of the regulating devices- The plungers in the several regulating devices will adjust themselves to permit a flow of oil past them and into the bearings. This flow of oil will continue until the valve 18 is again closed, whereupon the plnngers will rise and'close communication between the upper andlowe'r chambers in the several devices, thus pre venting oil from draining from the system into the bearings and emptying the supply pipe of the upper chambers in the devices.

It will thus be seen that I am enabled toequip an automobile, for example, with an eflicient central lubricating system, the oil for which is pumped by the enginelubrieating pump that is already in use,'the entire additional equipment being only simple piping and a quantity of my improved flow regulating devices that cost only a few cents each and may be screwed into the openings that ordinarily receive oil cups. It will also be seen that no effort or labor is required on the part of the user, tolubricate an entire series of bearings, tion of a small manual valve. Furthermore,

after the system has been installed, it will except the operasage from the upper chamber into the lower.

chamber, each device being, therefore, selfclosing.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not-desire to.

be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim: 12 The combination with the engine lubrieating pump of an automobile, of avpipe con on the plunger in a direction to push it into the first chamberfarlenough to'cause pipe.

nected to the discharge side of thepump, a valve in said pipe, said pipe having a plurality of outlets to distributed hearings to be lubricated, and means 7 associated with each outlet to close the same when said valve is closed and to open the same when said valveis opened while the pump-is running, said means being constructed to reduce the effective size" of said outletsin 'a definite relation to increase in pressure in said pipe,

2. The combination with-the engine lubri-,

catin pump of an automobile, of a pipe con-I necte to the discharge side of the pump, a valve in said pipe, said pipe having a plurality of outlets to distributed bearings to be lubricated, and means associated with each outlet to close the same when said valve is closed and to open the same when said valve is opened while the pump is running, said means being constructed to increase the effective resistance ofsaid outlets in a definite relation to increase in pressure in said 3. A regulating device comprising a memher having two chambers separated from each other by a wall having an opening therethrough, one of the chambers having an inlet and the second having an outlet, a plunger extending through and slidable in saidopening,the plunger fitting s id opening'and serving as a valve there or at the end-toward the second chamber and being 5 reduced in cross-sectional area for the remainder of its length, the cross-sectionalarea of the'tplunger increasing from the latter end towar the other end, and a spring acting to be closed. 7/ a In ricating system for the chassis said. 0 enin 4.

' bearings of an automobil'e,a pump, a source of vsupply, a plurality of bearings, means connecting the pump with a source of supply, a conduit connecting the "pump with the bearings and presenting a resistance to Y flow of oil and resistance means at each of said hearings to automatically compensate for differences in conduit resistance between each of said bearings and the pump.

5. In a lubricating system for the chassis bearings of an automobile, meansfor suplying oil under pressure, a plurality of earings to be lubricated, a conduit connecting the supply means with the bearings and presenting aresistance to flow of oil therethrough, and resistance means at each of the said bearings to automatically compensate for differences in conduit resistance between each s of chassis bearings requiring lubrication and presenting varying resistances to the introduction of lubricant, a conduit connecting the suppl means and the bearings, and

means in t e conduit near each bearing operated by the flow of lubricant therethro'uglr to present an additional resistance to flow in versely proportional to the resistance to introduction of lubricant in to the adjacent bearing, whereby the total resistance to'flow from the supply means to each bearing will 'be substantially the same as the total resistance to flow to each other bearing, substantially re ardless of the variations in resistance to 0w presented by the bearings themselves, and means in. each flow compensating device to cut off communication therethrough entirely when the lubricant pressure drops belowa certain point.

7. In a lubricating system for bearings of an automobile a plurality of bearings, a source of lubricant under pressure, a branched conduit connected to said source and having bearings, a valve 1n said conduit controllingcommunication between the source and the an outlet at each of said the chassis bearings, means for closing said outlets upon the closing of said valve and means operable.

by said pressure upon the opening of said valve, to open and thereafter to restrict said outlets in outlet. a

8. In a lubricating system for the chassis bearings of an automobile a lubricant reservoir, a pump connected to said reservoir, a plurality of devices to be lubricated and lo-' cated at varying distances from the pump, a conduit system connected to the'pump and having an outlet at each of the said devices and presenting a greater resistance to flow from the pm to one of said devices than it presents to ow from the pump to another of "said devices, and an automatically adjusted flow control device in each of a pluproportion to the pressure at each.

rality of said outlets to compensate for the difi'erence in conduit resistance between each of said bearings and the pump.

9. In a lubricating system a lubricant pump, a plurality of bearings at varying distances from said pump, a branched conduit leading from the pump to the bearings, a restricted passageway in said branches and pressure operated means to vary the cross IO sectional area of the passageway in inverse proportion to the pressure.

10. A drip plug for lubricating'systems, comprising a member having a chamber therein and having an inlet and an outlet 5 and means for connecting said outlet to a bearing, a valve in said chamber, normally closing communication between the inlet and the outlet but adapted, to be displaced by pressure of lubricant entering said inlet, a. flow resistance in said drip plug and pressure operated means to vary said resistance in proportion to the degree of pressure.

11. A drip plpg for lubricating systems, comprising a member having a'passageway .therethrough and an inlet and an outlet, 21

member in said passageway normally serving as a valve to close communication between the inlet and the outlet but adapted to be moved toward the outlet and'opened by pressure of lubricant entering said inlet, said valve member having a part cooperating with mp5s a portion of the walls of the passageway to present an increasin resistance to flow of toward said outlet.

12. In a device of the class described, a body member having a bore therethrough and an inlet and an outlet, an external screw thread at the outlet end of said body member whereby it may be attached to a bear-- ing, screw threaded means at the inlet end of said member for attaching a lubricant conduit thereto, a filler member having a tapered portion and coacting with a portion of the walls of said bore to form a highly restricted I passageway, a spring pressed valve member between said tapered portion and said outlet, and a spring between said 'valve member and said outlet normally tend ing to hold said valve in closed position.

'13. A flow control fitting for lubricating systems comprising a body member having an inlet and an outlet connected by a bore,

- lubricant as the va ve member is moved 

